Heat Wave On The Rise: First Half Of 2016, Hottest Ever Recorded, NASA Says

NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) stated that last month was the hottest June ever recorded. This means that global heat wave is continually rising in the planet Earth.

The record marks the 14th consecutive months that global heat records have been broken since records began in 1880, according to NOAA. The temperatures were continually intensifying with an average of 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.4 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the average between January and June this 2016, compared to the late nineteenth century.

JUST IN: Globe record warm for 14th consec month (June) - @NOAANCEIclimate https://t.co/8dpMpSrk1a #StateOfClimate pic.twitter.com/fEA20RAc4V

— NOAA (@NOAA) July 19, 2016

The Arctic sea ice is melting faster. As of today, it covers 40 percent less of the Earth than it did in the 1980s. Walt Meier, NASA Goddard sea ice scientist said that it has been a record year so far for global temperatures, but the record high temperatures in the Arctic for more than the past six months have been even more extreme. He further said that this warmth, as well as strange weather patterns, have led to the record low sea ice extents so far this year, as noted by CNN.

Huffington Post reported that the rising of temperatures for the past months were partly caused by the powerful El Nino this 2016. On the other hand, many scientists said that the increased concentration of carbon dioxides in the atmosphere could be attributed for the rising of global heat waves. NASA also said that the rise in carbon dioxide has come partly from scorching fossil fuels and has exceeded the historic highs in the past decades.

Most of the scientists were astonished on the increasing temperature of the planet and raised concerns. Astrid Caldas, a climate scientist said that most climate scientists are astounded at the speed that it's happening. She further said that at the same time, with the emissions peaking again last year...everything was directing to a heightened temperature. She added that it's the amount by which the records are being broken, not the fact that the record's being broken, that's really striking.